If someone told me 11 years ago that I could still be a teacher and not take home any papers to grade, lesson plans to write, or parents to call, I would never have believed them. How can teachers not take any work home? That’s part of the unwritten portions of a teacher contract of […]
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Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
Administrators, Listen to Your Teachers Before Assigning Classes
I do not pretend that I can fulfill the role of an administrator. In fact, I have no desire to become an administrator – I do not want that kind of stress. I respect those who effectively transition to the part; we need you! Instead, I would like to offer some advice to administrators that […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
Demystifying the AP Exam – 4 Tips to Make Review Time Easier
It’s that time of year again! The beginning of April marks the one-month countdown until AP exams begin. AP teachers are crossing days off their calendars, hoping that all the content has been absorbed, and thinking about how to most effectively review a year of information in the span of a few weeks. Advanced Placement […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Kindergarten, Principals' Corner
To The Depths of Darkness and Back: A Personal Lesson
Have you ever doubted you’re doing the right thing? If all your time spent teaching was actually worth it? If you were really having an impact on students? Does this profession provide you a way to light others’ candles? Or do you find you’re burning so much that you’re doing nothing but burning your candle […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Ramblings of a Betrayed Teacher
I feel betrayed. Hurt. Education has betrayed me and hurt me. It has turned on me like a rabid dog in the noonday sun on the hottest day in July. I thought that I was valued as a part of this great institution called “education.” Even before I became a teacher, I knew the value […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, The Unemployed Teacher
The Unemployed Teacher: Life After High School
–an installment in the ongoing series The Unemployed Teacher— I enjoyed a two hour coffee get together with one of my former students the other day. I was so energized after that meeting – and as I reflected on how proud I was of the path my student had followed after graduating from high school, […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, Middle School
Politics As Usual – Pt.1 (Charter School Diaries #12)
Week 3/25-3/29 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] In any job, there is always office politicking going on. In public education, district-wide politicking is the norm. The cycle is never ending. Policymakers are pressured by parents who […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
This is a tough time of year for all teachers, not just Physical Education teachers. The winter months seem to drag on. The calendar says it is Spring, but the weather doesn’t feel like it. Children have been in our classes for over half the year and we all know each other’s patterns. “Recess” time […]